


You Should’ve Known Better - Hannigram

by Mooneyarchives



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Blood Kink, Blood Magic, Blood and Gore, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Dark Fantasy, Dark Magic, Demon/Human Relationships, Demonic Possession, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, Eventual Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Historical Fantasy, Light BDSM, M/M, Masochism, Murder Husbands, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Pre-Relationship, Royalty, Vampires, Victorian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29371245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mooneyarchives/pseuds/Mooneyarchives
Summary: (AU) Will has always had an affinity for exploration - everyone told him it would lead to his doom. He never cared for these remarks until he found himself lost in the forest amidst a snow storm. As a last beacon of hope, he finds a castle upon a hill. The menacing building seems to be abandoned, however he is faced by a mysterious figure.
Relationships: Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Kudos: 18





	1. The Castle

**Author's Note:**

> This AU was inspired by a piece of fan art by lovesnametag on Instagram!

Will waged through the bitter cold, struggling to see anything ahead of himself. The air burned his cheeks and his eyelashes became frozen over from the snowflakes that melted with what little body heat he had left. The road was buried under a thick blanket of snow, his steps were heavy and desperate. “A little f-f-further” he whispered to himself, in an attempt to convince his feet to carry him to his no longer existent destination. Will knew he was lost, but he couldn’t let himself understand that - it would mean certain death. People had always insisted that his obsession with what the world has to hide would be his doom, perhaps he was starting to believe that. The trees loomed overhead - hiding any stars that might’ve managed to stay visible through the snow fall. Will clung to his cloak with outworldly desperation, tightly wrapping it around his body - he would suppose his boots were filled with snow, but he could no longer feel his legs. His cheeks would glow red if the dome of the night allowed for enough light. Despite every bone and muscle in his body screaming at him to just lay down and go to sleep - Will pressed on, the forest as his only companion.  
Eventually his blind faith carried him to a frozen river, he tried his best to see anything ahead - almost giving up, when suddenly he saw a flicker of light off in the distance. Was his mind playing tricks on him? It seemed to have grown fond of that recently. Carefully, with his whole body trembling, Will lowered himself onto the ice, taking small - quivering - steps. Using what little energy he had left, the man pulled himself up from the ice and onto the ground by the roots that hung from the sloped dirt. “Just a little m-more…” he stuttered, looking ahead to where he had seen the flicker. What vague light the blurred moon supplied outlined the silhouette of a castle, sat upon a hill - without realising it, Will’s lips curled into a weak smile “okay” , he sighed under his breath, bringing himself up to his feet. By the way he moved, one would assume he’d been an ice statue brought to life - at this point even he wasn’t sure if that wasn’t the case. After each step he repeated ‘just one more’, in his head - begging his body to get him to the gates.  
The metal bars upon the entryway curled into vine patterns - bringing an unnerving contrast to the actual vines growing over the gate. Will reached a shaky hand for the fence and pushed. Frozen foliage crumbled off the metal, and the gate creaked as it swung open. Nervously, Will stepped onto the castle grounds, looking up at the menacing building sitting ahead. Every gut feeling one could have told him to turn around, but he didn’t exactly have the option, so to push past his better judgement - Will picked up his pace.  
The doors of the castle appeared black in the moonlight. Gargoyle heads - holding big metal rings, hung on each door. Will reached his hand up hitting the iron against the wood, once. No answer. Once again. The door shifted open, causing Will to stumble ahead. He stepped in, closing the opening behind him. Immediately he fell to the ground - the air in the castle was cold, but not freezing. It was all he could’ve asked for. The foyer was dark and seemingly empty - although Will wouldn’t be able to see his own hand if he held it in front of his face. Why was it so dark? He could’ve sworn that he saw a light. “Hello?”, he called out - “I’m sorry to intrude, I was going to freeze out...out there”. There was no response. Will felt around the floor - carpet? He heard the wind fight to get into the castle, and it seemed like some had made it through. Suddenly torches lining the staircases ahead began lighting, one by one - leading up to the balcony above. A tall figure stood in the dim, red glow of the fire. Will couldn’t make out the man’s face, or real silhouette - he was enveloped in a long cloak, black fabric pooling around his feet. “I- I’m sorry...h-hello? My name is Will - Graham, Will Graham. Um- I was, I was lost”. The figure did not respond, but Will could feel a piercing stare tracking his every breath. He did not dare to speak again. The figure remained still for a few moments - then, with one sharp movement, the cloak was flying down the stairs towards Will. Before he could flinch, the figure stood before him - backlit by the torches. He still couldn’t make out the features of the man - but something about the mystery of it all entertained him. Still without saying a word, the figure reached out his hand to help Will to his feet. The hand was cold - almost freezing, Will had to keep himself from stumbling backwards at the sensation. The air was slightly warmer now, with all the fire - and some of the haze had eased in his mind. The figure held onto his hand, slowly taking steps back - leading Will further into the foyer. Now the man’s face was visible through the efforts of the flames - he had strangely sharp features, and the contrast between his pale skin and red lips was striking. “I- I’m sorry...but who are you?” - whispered Will, taking a step closer to the figure. Silence, but then - a chilling, but smooth voice, an accent that Will couldn’t quite pinpoint, “Hannibal Lecter”. Will waited for more - but the man was silent. “I’m terribly sorry to intrude...I - I just, I w-was lost and..I w-would h-have frozen out-out there”.  
“Yes, you mentioned that”.  
Will wasn’t sure what else he was supposed to say, but the frozen over adrenaline he was running on had almost burned out. Hannibal still held onto his hand - now supporting him enough to stand, with a firm and steady grip. “I thin-think I-I’m going to p-pass out…” muttered Will, before collapsing into the figure. “Yes, I suppose so” - said Hannibal, to himself.


	2. The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will wakes up in a strange room, confused as ever. Although perhaps this is the safest he’s felt in a long time.

Light came pooling into the room, making its way around the pulled back curtain. Will lay in bed - his head resting on a large pillow and a blanket covering most of his body. His breath was steady, yet shallow, and his eyes twitched as the light found a resting place on his face. A few moments passed by as the warmth soaked into his skin. A quiet breath out, followed by a sharp gasp - his eyes shot open. The bright sunlight stung and he squeezed them shut in an effort to orient himself. There was a pause - he sat in bed, holding his eyes closed, before he realized the amount of ache running through his body - and collapsed back onto the pillow with a wheeze. ‘Where am I?’ - he thought to himself. The man didn’t remember much, images of snow blinked in his mind, and he felt the burn of the freezing air on his face. Every muscle in his body felt like it was made of stone, and he could hardly move his neck to see the room. The light was still painful but Will forced himself to look. Wooden poles went up from the foot of the bed - holding up an embroidered fabric of some sort. The curtains above the bed, that would normally be let down at night, were fastened in place. A large wardrobe stood at the far end of the room, there was a fireplace to the left, and a door to the right. Will wondered what was going on, and how he had gotten here. He drew one of his arms from under the blanket - his skin appeared cracked, and he was wearing a linen shirt he had never remembered owning. His confusion only grew - nothing about this was familiar. Not knowing what else he could do - Will waited. Soon enough quiet, determined steps sounded in the hallway, outside of the door. The handle slowly angled towards the floor, and a tall man stepped through the entryway. “Awake, I see”  
“Y-Yes...where am I? Wh-what’s going on?”   
“This would be Lecter Castle, you stumbled here in a snow storm”  
“Oh..”- Will paused, now slightly relaxing, “Um, I-I’m sorry about the trouble. I don’t remember much. How long have I been here?”  
“Three days”  
“W-what?... Have I been asleep that long?”  
“You suffered severe injuries in the cold - only fair that your body would need time to recover, don’t you think?”  
“Uh...yes? I-I’m sorry, who are you?”  
The man paused as he walked over to the bed - “Hannibal Lecter, so we meet again Mr. Graham”  
Will’s expression softened, it was almost comforting to know they were not complete strangers - “You’ve been very kind to me, Mr. Lecter. Truly, I think you saved my life. Thank you”.  
“Yes, I suppose I did. But no need for thanks - I’ve enjoyed the company”  
Will laughed - but the ache in his throat quickly turned that into coughing, he tried his best to calm himself before speaking “I have been unconscious for three days, not much for company”.  
“Not to worry. A guest is a guest” - smiled Hannibal, “I shall go fetch some tea and food for you - you must be starving”.  
“Oh- no… that’s really quite alright…” - but his excuses were cut short by the loud growling in his stomach.  
“Yes, well… tea then” - and with that Hannibal was out the door.   
Will’s gaze shifted back to the embroidered fabric hanging over him - he was dizzy, but his confusion had begun fading, which he was beyond thankful for. 

Maybe half an hour had gone by when Hannibal came back into the room - holding a tray. Will had drifted off to sleep yet again but the movement woke him up, “sorry...uhm, I must’ve dozed off”.  
“That’s quite alright. I brought some chamomile tea - it should assist your throat”.  
“Oh...yes, thank you, Mr. Lecter. I didn’t know a person could be in this much pain at once” - he let out a small nervous laugh, followed by more coughing.   
“We’ll get you on your feet in no time - and please, Hannibal”.  
Will shifted up - leaning against the headboard to sit so that Hannibal could set the tray in his lap, “Thank you...Hannibal”.  
The man smiled, sitting down at the foot of the bed. “Do forgive me asking, but how does a gentleman such as yourself end up lost in a snowstorm?”.  
Will had hardly heard the question as he gulped down the tea cup, his thirst only growing. “Ummm.. I was looking for —- something? Quite honestly I don’t remember”.   
Hannibal went for the tea pot, pouring Will another cup, while the man practically inhaled spoon after spoon of soup - attacking the bread in between. “You are much hungrier than I anticipated - allow me a moment” - a few swift steps and Hannibal was gone again. Will wanted to say something but all he could think about was getting the next spoon of soup in his mouth as soon as possible. When Hannibal returned with another tray - the first one had been entirely cleared of anything edible. “Alright, Mr. Graham - this should suffice”, he said. Swapping the tray in Will’s lap. A whole loaf of bread, more soup, a large piece of meat - and a pitcher of cold water. It took much effort on Will’s part to not lunge at the food immediately, “Will” - he managed to spit out before taking a massive bite out of the loaf.   
Hannibal seemed content with his offerings - “Yes then, Will. I shall be back to check on you in half an hour, but for now - enjoy”. He smiled before turning on his heels and carrying the empty tray out of the room, gently shutting the door behind himself. 

The castle was cold and dark, occasional candle light was the only thing illuminating the hallways. Will’s room had been the only one in which sunlight was allowed. Hannibal’s steps echoed through the emptiness as his shoe soles clicked against the marble floors. He made his way to the kitchen - a fire was still burning in the stove, a pot sitting atop it. After setting the dishes by the wash bowl, he carefully picked four small vials from the cupboard - each made of green glass and tightly corked. He put them in the pocket situated on the right side of his shirt, and walked off - making quick strides to the foyer and up the staircase. 

Half an hour had been beyond enough for Will to devour the food - in fact it couldn’t have taken him more than ten minutes. Now he was chugging the water straight from the pitcher - barely stopping long enough to breathe. He never knew how good water could be. Although a part of him wished it was all rum, to make the pain go away. After the second tray had been completely cleared Will allowed himself to take a moment to process what was going on. He set everything onto the nightstand, cringing at the pain shooting through his arms. At the very least, he felt he was safe here - but he wondered how bad his injuries were since he hadn’t seen any part of himself besides his arms. Once again looking around the room, Will now tried to piece together where Lecter Castle might even be. There was no way he could’ve wandered that far off from his home in a storm - but he could not recall ever knowing of this castle’s existence. Will’s speculations were cut short when Hannibal walked into the room - “How are you feeling?”.  
“Better”, Will smiled - “I apologize for the mess, I’ve never been that hungry before”.  
“Apologies, apologies. I beg you, Will - everything is taken care of. I only ask that you focus on getting well. Speaking of which!” - he reached for his pocket, pulling out the vials - “I’ve brought you some medicine. I must warn you though, it can make one quite tired - which I’m sure you already are. Regardless, it will be good for your cough and should ease some pain as well”.  
“That would be wonderful, thank you, Hannibal” - he said, grabbing the vials.  
“Take two of these for now - the others are for later. Then allow yourself to drift off - I’ll come check on you in the evening”.  
The medicine tasted vaguely of licorice root, a flavor Will wasn’t entirely fond of. Regardless, he swallowed every last drop. Within minutes his eyelids became heavy, the sun gently played along his lashes, weaving him into a tight cocoon of heavenly warmth. If he hadn’t known any better, he would’ve believed he was one with the sunlight. Although even if his mind was simply playing another trick on him, he didn’t mind. Soon enough Will’s mind fell into blackness - his breath was steady, he was very much alive - but for now he did not exist in any way that mattered.   
The sunlight that had lulled him to sleep shifted into a flaming sunset - casting orange glow on the furniture and walls. Soon after the sunset came the moonlight. It was brighter this time, no snow distorting it’s appearance, no clouds to mask the glow - just the moon as it was. Will had always enjoyed looking at the moon, it felt more familiar than most things, he didn’t know much of where he belonged - as he could fit in anywhere if he wanted. Many nights he would lie in his own bed, debating over his understanding of the world. It was obscure and he didn’t like thinking about it - but that doesn’t mean he didn’t spend almost every second of every day doing so. Will was notorious in his village for never doing what was good for him - he had a hunger to run, although he had yet to figure out what he was running from. Or maybe what he was running towards.   
Hannibal crept into the room, his shadow growing on the wall - his silhouette darker than ever in the moonlight. He sat at the foot of the bed in silence. Will was in deep slumber and it seemed as though nothing could disturb him. Hannibal watched as his eyes darted back and forth behind his eyelids, lashes twitching now and again. The rise and fall of his chest was calm, it seemed regular, although perhaps slower than it should have been. The medication had seemed to do its job. The question of why Hannibal had come into the room, knowing Will would not be awake, was left unanswered even in his mind. As far as anyone else was concerned they didn’t exist at all, the moonlight their only witness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah!! Sorry for the short chapters, I’m working on so many things at once - but I promise the next chapter is def going to be a big one, probably coming this weekend! Thanks for reading <3


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